Surgical bandage



Feb. 9, 1943. L, M PEGG 2,310,864. I

SURGI CAL BANDAGE Filed July 8, 1941 Patented Feb. 9, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l2,310,864 SURGICAL BANDAGE Laura M. Pegg, Detroit, Mich.

Application July 8, 1941, Serial N0. 401,498

2 Claims. =.(Cl. 12S-155) This invention relates to improvements in surgical abdominal bandages designed for use following operations and adapted to be secured about the body of the patient over the wound dressing and to properly support the body adjacent to the incision; and also to properly support the internal organs without undue restraint gr compression at any particular point upon the body.

Heretofore it has been a practice in hospitals to provide a band or abdominal bandage of substantial width and length and to wrap such' band tightly about the body of the patient over the wound dressing, but due to th'e varying contours of the body and width of the band such band exerted substantially greater compression about the body at certain points than at others.

The circumference of the body Varies substani tiaily up and down adjacent th'e waist line and a wide bandage when tightly wrapped to properly support the body adjacent an abdominal incision and to properly support the internal organs necessarily tends to bind at some places substantially more than at others.

My improved bandage is particularly designed to overcome the above disadvantage. It is designed to properly and securely support the body adjacent the incision and to also properly support the internal organs. It is of such a character that it conforms to the varying contours and dimensions of the body when wrapped thereabout and exerts a snug restraining effort upon the body at all places without binding appreciably more at one point than another. It is further designed to accomplish the proper support and snugly engage the body while permitting movement of the body without dislocation of the bandage.

Other objects, advantages, and meritorious features of my improved band or bandage will more particularly appear from the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan of a bandage embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l,

Fig. 3 is a plan showing my improved bandage partially wrapped about a fragment of the body as shown in dotted outline,

Fig. 4 shows my improved bandage completely wrapped about a fragment of a body, and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view through the bandage shown in Fig. 4.

My improved bandage is formed of suitable plurality of thicknesses of material. In one preferred form two plies or two thicknesses of materials are used and such are shown in the figures of the drawing. Th'ese thicknesses are co-terminous in size and generally elongate, being of a substantially rectangular shape which is here shown as having a length approximately three times its width. The intermediate portions 20 of the two thicknesses are secured together as by stitching 22 forming a back section which' is adapted to overlie the back of the wearer.

'Ihe back section is provided with complementary end portions throughout which the two thicknesses are not secured together. These end portions have a width substantially equal to that of the back section and a length substantially equal thereto. The end portions are adapted to wrap over the sides and abdomen of the wearer and are of a length suflicient to accomplish such function.

Each thickness of each end portion is divided lengthwise into a plurality of strips, three being h'ere shown. These strips extend outwardly from the back section and possess an aggregate width substantially equal to that of the back section. The strips are here shown as identied by numbers from l to I2,

When the bandage is placed about the body the back section is disposed to overlie the back of the wearer and the strips of the first thickness are wrapped over th'e sides and across the abdomen as shown in Fig. 3. They are wrapped thereover slightly at an angle so that corresponding strips of the complementary end portions are overlapped and interlaced substantially completely covering the abdomen and sides of the patient. It is preferable to wrap such strips at a slight angle to increase their adherence to each other though this is accomplished primarily by using a material such as fiannelette which has a soft nap on its surface that when strips formed therefrom are overlapped in interlaced relationship they resist any pulling out with a considerable degree of tenacity. I prefer to use in my bandage material having such a nap on its surface rather than to use ordinary bandage gauze or a hard finish material.

Following the overlapped wrapping of the strips |6 as numbered in the figures of the drawing, the second thickness and its strips 1-I2 are then drawn across the sides and body of the wearer and the angle of overlapping may be substantially greater as shown in Fig. 4.

It has been found that the tenacity of adherfabric cut to the required size and consists of a ence between the overlapped interlaced strips is so high that it is not necessary to do more than to pin the two uppermost strips as shown in Fig. 5 with safety pins 24. In some instances the bandage has been used Without any pinning at all and it has also been entirely satisfactory.

It is apparent that bandages might be provided in varying sizes and shapes and with different kinds of materials suitable to the use and that improvements might be made therein without departingfrom the spirit of the invention other than as set forth in the claims.

What I claim:

1. A surgical bandage comprising two corre"- sponding thicknesses of bandage fabric in elongate form, said thicknesses secured together intermediate their ends forming a back section, said thicknesses not being secured together throughout their end portions, eachthicknes's of each end portion divided into a plurality of str-ips extending outwardly from th'e back section andy having a length substantially equal thereto and having in the aggregate a Width substantially equal thereto.

2. A surgical abdominal bandage having a, back section adapted to overlie the back of the wearer, complementary end portions extending from opposite margins of the back section adapted to wrap about the sides and over the abdomen of the wearer, each end portion comprising two thicknesses off fabric having a soft nap surface, each thickness divided into a plurality of strips extending outwardly fro'fn the back section and having a length substantially equal thereto, said strips adapted to be Wrapped over the sides with the stri-ps of one thickness of each end portion interleaved between the strips of the two thicknesses of the other end portion, back of the wearer and to adhere snugly when wrapped in overlapping relationship.

LAURA M. PEGG. 

